Kaibaland's Duel Spiral
by HeyNowNow
Summary: It's been two years since Joey and Kaiba started dating, and this is the first time Kaiba and Yugi face off since then, who will Joey choose to root for? (Joey/Kaiba)


**I know all fic is inherently self indulgent and following one's bliss, but yknow. Also, fuck writing out actual duels, y'all get it.**

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Joey grunted and put his arms up to protect his eyes from the blast of Kaiba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. It was a tough duel, but his final defense had been blown away and his Life Points dropped to zero. The final attack caused him to lose his balance and he fell down on one knee. He bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes. He was so close to finally beating Kaiba, he could taste his victory. He managed to knock him down to 50 Life Points while he still had a 1000 left, but in the end Kaiba was the better duelist.

"That was a good duel," Kaiba said, walking towards Joey as the platform on top of his Duel Spiral lowered. The Duel Spiral was the newest attraction added to the very center of Kaibaland, meant to be a place where duelists could test their prowess and stamina in elevations as high as the Duel Tower Kaiba had blown up five years prior. In order to promote the newest attraction, Kaiba set up a day long tournament with only the eight top duelists in the world. He and Joey were the penultimate match, the winner would face Yugi in the final duel of the tournament.

Kaiba reached Joey and held his hand out to him. Joey looked up and took it and he stood again. "Yeah? But I still lost."

He looked down, sad and ashamed. What stung most was how close he was to winning. Kaiba put two fingers under Joey's chin and gently raised his face so they were staring at each other. "Since when does a loss sting so much for you?" he asked before kissing him on the lips.

Joey blushed but kissed his boyfriend of two years back. For the inauguration of the Duel Spiral, the top level was reserved for the duelists and, of course, Yugi and Joey's cheerleaders, so there weren't many present there to see Kaiba's uncharacteristic pda, however, all the duels were televised and displayed on screens all across the amusement park. No doubt all of Kaibaland's guests were privy to their smooch. Joey figured, though, if Kaiba didn't care about all that, then why should he? He began kissing back harder before Kaiba pulled away.

"I'll get you next time," Joey said, grinning, his fire and determination back.

Kaiba smirked and nodded.

"There will be a half hour recess before the final match of today's tournament commences!" Mokuba announced once the platform finished lowering.

"That was a great duel, guys!" Yugi said as the couple walked towards him.

"Yeah, but we could all predict Kaiba's win," Duke teased.

"Talk about cutting it close, but in the end, Joey's always gonna come in third," Tristan said.

"I'm standing right here, you dicks," Joey said, exacerbated by his friends' rude takes.

"Yugi," Kaiba said, turning to his rival. "As always, I've been awaiting this rematch. And I'm quite confident that this time the odds are in my favor to reign victorious on top of my glorious Duel Spiral."

Yugi furrowed his brow and smiled. "Let the best duelist win, Kaiba."

"I plan to."

"Alright, well before that, half an hour is plenty of time for us to get a snack in," Joey said, breaking the trash talking and pulling on Kaiba's hand with both of his. "So let's go do that, you can't win tournaments on an empty stomach."

Kaiba let himself be dragged away while the gang stayed in place to chat and Mokuba busied himself double checking that all the technology of the Duel Spiral was running smoothly.

Though Kaiba didn't want to be tacky, Mokuba and Joey insisted it was absolutely necessary for the top of the Duel Spiral to have a snack bar, and as he leaned against the glass counter and munched on his potato chips, he realized they were right to have demanded this.

"You know, Joey, if you want to root for Yugi it's no big deal," Kaiba said as he pulled on one side of the chip bag to straighten it out.

"Hmm?" Joey turned to him, confused, as he drank his soda through a straw.

"This is the first time I face off against Yugi since we started seeing each other and I want to spare you from having to choose. Root for him, I've never really been one for cheerleaders anyway."

Joey looked at Kaiba, but he seemed overly interested in his chips. "Uhm. Okay. I guess."

They said no more and when they were done with their food they tossed out their trash and walked back out to the others.

"Alright, duelists! Please make your way to the platform so we can begin the final match of the Duel Spiral Tournament!"

"Good luck," Joey whispered to Kaiba, who hummed happily and smiled before walking off to take his place. Joey went to join his friends while Yugi went to stand on the platform himself.

"What interests me the most is who Joey's going to cheer for," Duke said.

"What do you mean who he's going to cheer for?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, his man or his best friend," Duke explained.

"Joey's going to root for Yugi, obviously!" Téa said, turning to Joey. "Isn't that right? Why else would you be standing on Yugi's side?"

"I mean-" Joey began to say, but was cut off by Tristan.

"Makes sense. Why would you root for someone who just wiped the floor with you?"

"The final match of the Duel Spiral Tournament will now begin!" Mokuba announced. "Seto Kaiba versus Yugi Muto! Let the duel start!"

"Let's duel!" The rivals shouted, and the match began.

Yugi took an early lead in the duel, destroying Kaiba's Blue Eyes Alternative Dragon easily, and the gang cheered for him.

"Alright, Yug!" Joey shouted, getting caught up in the momentum of the battle.

Yugi turned and smiled at his friends. Kaiba was serious, his lips a tight line, and in two turns the tides turned and he was in control of the duel.

"Don't worry, Yugi! You got this!" Téa shouted.

Joey felt his heart jump wildly in his chest. Kaiba was in the lead with 500 Life Points and he had three monsters on the field while Yugi had none. He smiled, excited at the prospect of his boyfriend winning and being crowned the King of Games on top of his Duel Spiral.

As quickly as Kaiba gained his advantage he lost it, and now he was on the receiving end of Buster Blader.

"Man, this duel is intense. They're not giving each other an inch," Tristan said.

"This has to be the most focused I've ever seen either of them," Duke said.

"Go, Yugi! I knew you'd turn the tables on Kaiba!" Téa cheered.

Joey bit his bottom lip, his hands in tight fists. He knew Kaiba would get back on top with his two face down cards, but he still had his heart caught in his throat with nerves.

Three more turns passed, and Kaiba had the upper hand yet again. Joey grinned, ready for the finishing blow, when Téa elbowed his stomach. "Joey! What gives? Yugi needs all of us cheering for him right now!"

"Oh, uh," Joey said, rubbing where Téa struck him. "Yeah! Obviously Yug can pull through this."

Téa pouted, not pleased with his half-hearted encouragement, but she went back to cheering for her friend.

After two more moves, Yugi successfully summoned his Magician of Black Chaos and destroyed Kaiba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. With no cards on his side of the field to protect him, Joey could see how jarred and anxious Kaiba was to lose his strongest monster after setting the stage to win with it. Yugi was smiling, knowing he had the duel won and that nothing Kaiba drew would be able to help him.

Joey turned to Mokuba. He could see him sweat, but as the announcer he had to remain impartial. He couldn't give his brother any words of encouragement no matter how badly he wanted to. Joey looked across the platform and there wasn't a single person in Kaiba's side to cheer him on. His back was up against the wall, but what could Joey do? Kaiba insisted on dueling alone, that he didn't need people in his corner to succeed. Joey gritted his teeth, growing frustrated with his boyfriend's attitude that was going to cost him the duel, when a thought crossed his mind. _I've never been one for cheerleaders anyway,_ Kaiba had told Joey, but that was a lie. Kaiba loved having people cheering him on, be it a live audience like his duel against Zigfried, or a virtual audience, like his duel against Yugi on his original Duel Tower. Everyone liked being cheered on, feeling like there was someone in their corner, even Kaiba, if he ever admitted it.

Joey gritted his teeth and ran towards Kaiba's side and shouted, "You got this, Seto! You've been dueling your heart out! Don't let one setback knock you down!" The gang were all startled by Joey's sudden departure from Yugi's side. Sure, of course, Kaiba was Joey's boyfriend and partner, but when it came to Duel Monsters, it was understood their bonds of friendship would always have them cheering for Yugi above everyone else. This felt like a betrayal of that bond. "You're not out of this duel yet, Seto! Yeah, Yugi's a great duelist, but so are you! You've gone up against his deck more times than anyone else! You know his strategy, and you can beat him!"

Duke chuckled. "Well alright, it's about time Joey grew up and started putting his man first."

"That isn't funny, Duke! Yugi needs all of us! How can Joey run out on his best friend like this?" Téa said.

"Easy. Because this is just a duel, and Joey should prefer his boyfriend over us, that's the way of the world," Duke said.

"Maybe your world, but in our world we cheer for each other and put our friends first," Tristan said.

Duke had an amused smile on his face. "You two need to grow up too."

"Believe in your deck, Seto!" Joey shouted. "I have faith in you! I know you can draw the perfect card you need to get back in control of this duel, so draw it now!"

Kaiba looked at Joey, and for a moment Joey thought he was going to be told to be quiet and go back to Yugi's side. Instead, Kaiba smirked and nodded. "Thank you, Joey. You're right, I do have a card that can turn this around, and it's my turn, so here goes!"

Joey watched with bated breath as Kaiba drew. He wanted so desperately for his boyfriend to win this duel and be crowned World Champion on top of his own Duel Spiral. He knew how hard Kaiba worked, day in and day out, to run his company, to expand his amusement parks, and to think up the perfect strategy to defeat Yugi, once and for all. Kaiba was the most hardworking person Joey knew, and all that hard work had to be rewarded somehow, it just had to.

Kaiba drew his card, and when he turned to see it, Joey could tell his smirk had turned into a soft smile. "This is quite a twist, Yugi. I drew the one card in my deck that was given to me by Joey, and it's the exact card I need to destroy your Magician of Black Chaos."

"No way!" Yugi shouted, becoming increasingly flustered.

"He's bluffing," Tristan said.

"Oh, I doubt it," Duke said.

"What card is it? What did Joey give you?" Yugi asked, eyeing his best friend on the sidelines. Yugi, of course, understood, valued, and respected Joey and Kaiba's relationship. Though he wanted to win and he was surely doing his best, this was ultimately only a game, and Joey choosing to cheer for his boyfriend wasn't going to put their years of friendship in jeopardy. Still, habits were hard to break. Kaiba was his rival and Joey was his best friend, for Joey to so bluntly cheer for Kaiba the way that he was threw Yugi off his game, to say the least.

Kaiba smiled. He placed the card in the slot for spell and trap cards and said, "I activate Question!"

"Alright!" Joey cheered.

"No way! That really is Joey's card!" Téa said.

"Question allows you the chance to guess what monster I have at the bottom of my graveyard. Guess right and the monster is banished, guess wrong and I get to summon it onto the field."

Yugi stared for a moment, stunned, but he soon smiled and said, "Question is an awesome card! It's great that you've incorporated a piece of Joey into your deck, but I know exactly what monster card you have at the bottom of your graveyard! Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Kaiba chuckled, his eyes shiny with victory in his sight. "Wrong, Yugi!"

"No wait!" Yugi shouted, immediately realizing his careless mistake. "It's Blue Eyes _Alternative_ Dragon!"

"Too late! You already made your guess and you were wrong! Now come back to me, Blue Eyes Alternative Dragon!" Kaiba summoned his dragon and Joey cheered. In the back of his mind he felt some guilt. He was sure he threw Yugi off his game by cheering for Kaiba instead, and he didn't mean to psych him out so bad that he made such a careless mistake, but with Blue Eyes Alternative Dragon on the field, Kaiba had another shot at winning this duel. "With my dragon on the field, I can use its special effect and destroy one monster from your side of the field, Yugi, and I choose you Magician of Black Chaos!"

"Oh no!" Yugi shouted.

Kaiba was back in control of this duel, and if he could also attack with his dragon he would have it won. Unfortunately, using Blue Eyes Alternative Dragon's effect meant he couldn't attack with it, so Yugi was still safe.

"That was awesome, Seto! I knew you could turn things around!" Joey shouted, proud of his boyfriend and happy that it was his card that helped push Kaiba ahead.

It was an upset, no doubt, for Kaiba to have drawn Question and destroy Yugi's magician, but in the end, all that succeeded in doing was prolonging the inevitable. Both duelists were down to their final 500 Life Points, and without meaning to, Kaiba helped Yugi set the stage for his final and most clever move.

"And now I summon Quintet Magician!"

"No way!" Kaiba shouted.

"I've never seen Yug play that card before," Joey said.

"Amazing," Tristan said.

"I knew Yugi had one last ace up his sleeve!" Téa cheered.

"Since I used five different spellcasters as fusion material for my Quintet Magician, I can destroy every card on your side of the field, Kaiba," Yugi explained.

All Kaiba could do was look on as Yugi's magician destroyed his Blue Eyes Alternative Dragon, along with the other two Blue Eyes he had managed to bring back to the field. Because Yugi had played his Dark Paladin earlier in the duel, Kaiba had used up his one Defusion spell card to get rid of it, not knowing Yugi had an even stronger fusion monster hidden within his deck. With Kaiba's field cleared, Yugi called his attack and won the duel.

"He lost," Joey murmured under his breath.

Mokuba turned to his big brother, the drawback of being the Duel Spiral Tournament's special guest announcer dawning on him. He had complete faith that Kaiba would win the duel, but now he had to announce the victor, and it wasn't his brother. He bit his bottom lip to keep it from trembling and took in a deep breath, he had to complete his job. "The final duel of the Duel Spiral Tournament has completed! Yugi Muto is the champion!"

The gang cheered for Yugi, who turned to them and gave them a thumbs up.

Joey looked on at Kaiba, who was standing with his head down. He felt terrible, but he could only imagine how much worse his boyfriend must be feeling. Once the dueling platform had finished lowering, he ran to Kaiba and threw his arms around his shoulders, his hands in Kaiba's hair. "Congratulations!"

"For what?" Kaiba asked, turning to him.

"For dueling one of the best duels of your career! My heart stop like five different times! And I can't believe you drew my card when you needed it the most! Tell me, did you have fun playing one of my gamble cards? Are you seeing the appeal of using a luck deck?"

Kaiba scoffed and turned away, though he was smiling. "In your dreams, Joey. That was the most nerve wrecking card I've ever played. I don't know how you duel with a deck full of cards just like it."

Joey giggled. He turned his boyfriend's head around so they were facing each other again and kissed him deeply.

"You'll get him next time," Joey whispered as they pressed their foreheads together. "I'm real proud of you."

Kaiba hummed happily, his arms around Joey and simply said, "Thank you."

"Let's go congratulate the winner."

Kaiba nodded and the couple walked towards Yugi, hand in hand.

"Congratulations on your victory, Yugi," Kaiba said, holding his hand out to him.

"Thanks Kaiba, you too," Yugi said, shaking Kaiba's hand. As the two rivals spoke about their match, Joey watched on and smiled. He was proud of his boyfriend in more ways than one. True, he dueled his heart out, but he had also come so far from the cold jerk he knew when they first met. He was warmer now, letting those who love him be affectionate towards him. He was also more resilient, jumping back from his defeat quicker than he ever would have back in the day. And maybe it would still be a while before Kaiba admitted it himself, but Joey would bet the clothes on his back that his boyfriend had fun during the tournament. Of course he wanted to be the champion, but in lieu of that, Joey could see how Kaiba's face lit up during each of his duels that day. He was excited and enjoyed his battles, and that's all Joey ever wanted for him, to stop stressing out so much and have some damn fun.

Mokuba walked towards the group of friends, cell phone in hand but he had hung up. "Looks like your tournament idea was a success, Seto. Guests are lining up at the bottom of the Duel Spiral for a chance to duel each other up here!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kaiba said. "Let's head out so the Duel Spiral can be used as it was intended."

"Sounds like a plan!" Joey said, pulling his boyfriend along as they and the others all headed down the Spiral to relax after such a heavy hitting tournament and enjoy the rest of their day in Kaibaland.


End file.
